Liz Baxter

We are welcoming the longer days of light, and even some warmth sneaking in! 

A group of staff and board members just returned from the Othering and Belonging Conference in Oakland, CA: three days of steeping ourselves into what is possible when we intentionally focus on belonging and the heavy work it takes to make it real. There was a theme about practice that we’ve heard iterations of over the past few years. 

• Belonging is not only an aspiration, it is a practice (OBI)
• Not only is it a practice, but it requires us to practice (Clarice Bailey)
• Practice makes us different (as opposed to ‘better’) (Ruth Wilson Gilmore)

North Sound ACH joined some incredible partners from across the country on two panels, providing examples of how we have embedded belonging and Targeted Universalism into our work. We shared challenges and learnings, and what we have learned from you over the years. It was pretty incredible and we’re grateful to the Othering & Belonging Institute (OBI) for letting us join in those rich dialogues. 

And, we were excited to see faces from many Washington organizations there, including the Washington Department of Commerce, Washington Department of Health, Office of Financial Management, the Seattle Foundation, the Governor’s Office of Equity, and Whatcom Community Foundation, just to name a few. Washington wants to become a state of belonging, and it was exciting to see so many there who will help make that happen.

On returning home, my son shared an article from the Seattle Times featuring Children of the Setting Sun Productions (CSSP). My heart was overflowing with joy for them, their growth, and what is yet to come as they continue forward. If you didn’t see the article check it out by . Also check out their , which highlights their work. We are so grateful to be in partnership with them. 

Our goal is to continue uplifting the work you all do and we appreciate your trust in us as we try new things. North Sound ACH alone cannot make change happen, but together nothing seems impossible for us to tackle. 

Thanks for all you do!

You are probably tired of reading that two of my favorite days in the year fall on the spring and fall equinox – each of them marking the turn of a season. March 19 was the first day of Spring, and it also marks a day when we have equal hours of sunlight and darkness, and for those of us who can look to the horizon, the sun rises due east and sets due west. There are all kinds of science behind it, and it leaves me in awe each and every time. 

There are so many issues that could use my full, undivided attention, and it is one of many reasons why we added new leaders to our team this quarter. I hope that you get to meet and work with both Arlesia Bailey (Chief Transformation Officer) and Hallie Pritchett (Chief Equity Officer) soon. They have joined Nicole Willis (COO) and are ready to help us grow internally and expand our work across the region with partners and the Collaborative Action Network. At a recent event a colleague took a picture of us, along with Cheryl Raser, who is Chairing the Board of Directors. I’m honored to be working alongside such a powerful and passionate group of leaders.

Almost 30 years ago, I was introduced to the notion of ‘tension’ in decision making – that few things fit squarely in an either/or paradigm. Each decision we make puts tension on another end of a string. Examples include, expecting providers to easily share information so that we don’t have to repeat ourselves, with wanting confidentiality and privacy/security held sacred. Or, internally we have a policy about not being political in the workplace, yet we are an empathetic team with values about leading with love, so how do we respond to humanitarian crises? And I wonder just how much the lines have blurred in unanticipated ways with our team being 100% remote. We’re looking for models, and sometimes there aren’t many to reflect on.

We have a philosophy at North Sound, introduced to us by a colleague from Portland, Ben Duncan – ‘failing forward.’ The question isn’t whether we will make mistakes or mis-steps – we will. The real question is what we do after that happens. How do we learn, who do we learn from, how do we incorporate that learning into our policies and guidelines for the future? I hope I’m not surprising you by saying that North Sound ACH will stumble – but we’re committed to learning from and with you about how we can do better. 

The news story that stuck with me this week – thinking about corporations mining the moon as a source for helium. Understanding how the helium shortage is impacting technology and health care, I found myself wondering aloud if corporations understand the impact of altering the moon on this planet we call home – time, tides, and light.  The link takes you to an article of the Natural History Museum in the UK, but it might put some attention to how we have limited sight on how decisions and strategies impact our world and the people on it. 

In our work incorporating the Vital Conditions for Well-being, one of those is a Thriving Natural World. Being interconnected, many factors impact stewardship of the planet that might require us to think from the ground all the way into space. 

We’ll be hosting a learning session in May around a thriving natural world, so stay tuned!  

Be well, and looking forward to seeing some of you on April 6 in Everett to watch the first episode of The Sound!

I spent part of last Saturday at a gathering hosted by Fatherhood the Foundation in Bellingham celebrating Black History Month. It was an amazing combination of storytellers, poets, songs, and historians laying seeds for the next generation, who were also there sharing their voices, passion, and visions. It was also a chance for me to see what members of my team do when not wearing their ACH hats, and it makes me even more honored that they decided to join us in this transformative work. 

Being there also spurred this blog post, with thoughts about Black History Month, Healthy Heart Month, Valentine’s Day, and chocolate cream cheese. And if you’re curious what connects them all – none of them should be limited to just one month. 

In a time when decision-makers around the country are limiting what history can be taught in schools, we celebrate Black History Month, as if it is not also part of American history. This nation has many accomplishments, and we are blinding ourselves without recognizing that so much of the nation’s wealth was built upon the backs (and the minds, intelligence, and innovation) of immigrants, slaves, and Indigenous peoples. Ironically, there is not a month dedicated solely to ‘American History’ but as we think of this month, and many others, know that we are all a part of the history – and future – of this nation. (link to a sample listing of heritage and awareness months; there are certainly more out there.) 

February is also American Heart Health Month. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., and this intertwines with Black History Month because African Americans are 30 percent more likely to die from heart disease than non-Hispanic whites, according to the Office of Minority Health. This link from the Cleveland Clinic provides a high-level description of how race and ethnicity play into heart disease, but one number is striking – 59 percent of Black adults have hypertension. 

A few years ago we learned about Live Well San Diego, and for the last 15 years in February, they have held blood pressure checks stationed throughout their area – at grocery stores, pharmacies, libraries, fire departments, salons, faith communities, and more. They call it “Love Your Heart” month, with campaigns to have everyone ‘know their numbers.’ They use demographic data to prioritize the screening sites in communities with higher numbers of people at risk for undetected hypertension. This intentional outreach to reach those most at risk is an example of targeted universalism. Everyone is welcome, but they recognize that not everyone has the same access or incentives to early identification of hypertension. 

Which brings me full circle to chocolate cream cheese! A local Bellingham bagel maker offers chocolate cream cheese every February – in alignment (I think) with Valentine’s Day, a day devoted to expressing love. Then again, maybe it is a tribute to Black History Month? But I question why just one day; why just one month? We live in a world where people are hungry for connection and community, and we could use more efforts to remind us how we are all intertwined and can take action together. We can celebrate things simultaneously. As a person whose life touches so many of these annual awareness days/months, my takeaway is always that we are more connected than disconnected, and more alike than not alike (thank you Maya Angelou for imprinting those thoughts on my psyche).

Be well, and looking forward to seeing you all again soon.

January – start of a new year for us, and this first month is always filled with activity. The two-day Partner Convening, annual Board retreat, filling out our ‘year at a glance’ calendar, and staff looking at their professional development goals for the year – laying the groundwork for 2024 and more. 

For me, it’s also a month of family celebrations and remembering – birthdays (my mom, maternal grandmother, great aunt, sister, cousins, nieces and nephews), my parent’s anniversary, and one year since losing my oldest brother. It always brings to mind the word ‘bittersweet’ – that we can celebrate and mourn, laugh and grieve, because all those emotions sit inside us as humans. My nephew’s birthday brings out smiles and old pictures, and reminds the family that we lost him in a drive-by shooting almost 23 years ago, leaving my oldest brother to raise his grandson. It still feels like yesterday. Our emotions are intertwined – and this complexity of emotions surrounds so many community members every day.

The Collaborative Action Network has grown to almost 140 organizations, and the convening is just one opportunity for them to meet others who might be aligned with their work. Relationship building, collaboration building, and movement building. The network will strengthen some long held beliefs, and hopefully offer some surprises for potential new partnerships. 

Starting the year off with a two-day convening is ambitious (those who do meeting planning know what that means) and I hope you all know that it is only a teaser for what is possible. The gathering nourishes our team, and unsurprisingly makes them say things like “I wish we’d had more time for ….” Being inspired by the work you do is a nourishment to us. We thank you.

We look forward to next steps with you. We’ll be announcing dates for the August convening soon, plus communities of practice and the Learning Series. The new Medicaid waiver will support capacity building for regional care coordination and once we have that agreement in place you’ll hear more. 

Many blessings to you, your families and teams, and hope to see you all again soon.

Why does it always seem so sudden, when the hours of daylight shorten this time every year? At my house I face due west, and I can watch every day how much further south (or north after the solstice) the sun sets each day, but for some reason I don’t pay as much attention to the length of daylight until this time of year.

Each season has great significance, especially for communities that are closer to the land – tilling the soil, planting; the growth, the harvests, storing for the winter. We also know that changes in seasons can impact the well-being of community members – it is harder for people who don’t have secure housing (think colder and wetter), who work to maintain their mental health when daylight shortens are just two examples. It is critical that we keep our eyes open for those who could use our help.

When we hired our first Tribal Liaison in November 2018, one of the first conversations I had with them was about the fall season, and how ‘traditional’ holidays like Thanksgiving overshadow what fall means to Indigenous people with their unbreakable connection to the land. I think of that conversation every year, and feel gratitude that those words were shared with me. Our first liaison, Candice, also shared a quote from Billy Frank Jr. that has been on my wall ever since: 

“I don’t believe in magic. I believe in the sun and the stars, the water, the tides, the floods, the owls, the hawks flying, the rivers running, the wind talking. They’re measurements. They tell us how healthy things are. How healthy we are. Because we and they are the same. That’s what I believe in.”

Imagine if this is how we were measuring progress toward equitable well-being, instead of only relying on utilization of health care services. They – and we – are connected. And if we are after a different end, we probably need new ways of measuring well-being.

I was honored to be able to listen to the proceedings from the Centennial Accord this week, especially as Tribal leaders constantly remind the Governor and other state leaders that our well-being is connected to the health of our water, air, trees, fishing, salmon… that health care is connected to natural resources, forest land, fishing rights, education, incarceration, and more. I learn so much by sitting and learning from Tribal leaders – it’s like what I imagine listening to the United Nations must be like. 

In 2020, North Sound ACH adopted the Vital Conditions for Well-being, adding to other frameworks that guide our work. That framework also shows the intertwined relationship of our personal health with a thriving natural world. 

---

We’re beginning to plan our next Partner Convening, which will be in late January, and we’re imagining how we’ll lift up examples of those vital conditions, so it should be enriching (and kind of fun!) 

Members of the Collaborative Action Network will see holds pop onto your calendars for January 23-25, 2023. No, we’re not meeting for three days 😊 but it will be either Tuesday/Wednesday or Wednesday/Thursday that week. Once we confirm the location, we will update those calendar holds. 

Thank you for continuing on the learning journey with us – Tribal sovereignty, equity, targeted universalism, anti-racism, the Vital Conditions for Well-being, and now Leading with Love. It was fun presenting last month with Nicole Willis at the Washington State Public Health Association conference about our six-year journey toward leading with love. What we heard – people are hungry for ways to heal the hearts, minds, and bodies in workplaces and in their communities. You are part of that leadership, and we thank you for continuing to do what you do!